Today’s blog post is from a volunteer who was ‘trapped’ in kanthari during the Corona outbreak.
However, hor her apparently, it didn’t seem the worst place to be trapped in.
Lockdown in a lake
(By Riya Orison)
After I quit my corporate job last year, I was looking for opportunities in the social sector. A friend of mine mentioned Kanthari and I immediately applied to be a volunteer for two months. I was keen to work with the team, so I visited the organisation with my aunt and attended an orientation.
Since the kanthari course was scheduled to start only in May, when Paul asked me whether I’d like to help them clean the lake meanwhile, it was an instant YES! Water has always been my element.
I signed up as a volunteer for kanthari in February and was given a computer and had a huge office room all to myself. Who wouldn’t dream of a workspace overlooking the stunning Vellayani lake, surrounded by lush coconut trees and serene greenery?
Though I really enjoy working in my office, my favorite part of the day has to be our evenings at the lake. Paul, Sabriye and I get into the lake to pluck lotus plants and other weeds. Initially, I was quite confused as to why they were taking out these beautiful pink flowers. I later realized that these were exotic plants that did not belong in the lake. They affect the local ecosystems by de-oxygenating the water and smothering aquatic life.
The lake is frequently visited by a variety of birds, like yellow chested kingfishers, storks, cranes, water crows and many more. The most fascinating ones are the swamp hens with purple and turquoise tinted feathers, red heads and beaks. They gracefully walk on the lotus leaves and try to steal the tender lotus roots we have plucked. Lazy birds I must say!
The highlight of the evenings are definitely the mesmerizing sunsets and dreamy skies. While taking in all this splendor and charm, it is easy to lose track of time. Our savior used to be the siren that blew at 6 pm sharp from the agricultural college situated across the lake. But with the lock down, the college has closed, and the sirens have stopped. Determined not to let time slip away, I’ve grasped the skill of looking at the sky to figure out the time. It reminds me of how our forefathers used to tell the time before the discovery of clocks and watches. When the sun touches the canopy of trees beside the lake, it would be past six o’clock, time for us to pack up our day’s work and for a quick 5-minute refreshing swim.
While Amber (one of our dogs) waits at the staircase eager for us to come out, Charu (our other Labrador) tries to join in the fun by swimming across to Sabriye and helping us take the plants out. Plucking these plants are easy, piling them up into humongous floating islands and lifting and throwing them onto the land is the hard part. It is definitely a good upper body workout.
Before the lockdown, we had volunteers from various educational institutions and other organisations coming in to help us clean the lake. Nowadays we improvise and innovate new ways to get the work done. Every now and then Paul comes up with new tools to make our plucking expedition effortless. Out of the many tools, one was successful, and we have aptly named it ‘Korona-berg 2020’. (Paul’s surname is Kronenberg)
Taking out the deep-rooted lotus roots is a hard task for many but not to Sabriye who says it is a blind (wo)man’s work. The clear ground beneath the feet gives her the same joy and satisfaction that we feel when we see the expanding water surface.
The lock down in India was initially for 21 days. We clicked a picture of the lake then and decided to take out as many plants as possible within the 21 days to compare the area we had covered. Now that the lock down has been extended, we persist in our mission. And the lake is perfect for physical distancing.
Either the lock down comes to an end or we end up cleaning the entire lake during the lock down. There seems to be no in-between!